I’m so pleased to join the upcoming panel discussion Second Cities: Culture Beyond the Capital at SXSW 2025, happening March 10 at 2:30 PM. I’ll be joining Mat Bancroft from the University of Manchester; Kirsty Fairclough from the School of Digital Arts; and Steve Ray from the Texas Music Office to talk pop music archives and exhibition, scholarship and support. This conversation highlights the British Pop Archive within the University of Manchester Library’s Special Collections. Programming also features wide-ranging discussions, installations, and interactive events focused on education, technology, and culture in in the UK. The event takes place at UK House, and it’s open to SXSW badge holders. Hope to see you there!
Hearty congratulations to the students in my Planning and Understanding Exhibits class for spotlighting bookbinding craft and practice in their successful exhibit All That Glitters: The Practice and Preservation of Hand Tooling. This exhibit introduced visitors to the practice of hand tooling, a form of decorating a book’s cover, as a physical signifier of the value of information. Through a collection of tools and books, the exhibit explored the process and labor of becoming a craftsperson and the importance of preserving both artifacts and practice.
A box of gold tooling supplies featured in the exhibit belonged to conservation educator Paul Banks.
The digital exhibit is live, and the physical exhibit culminated in a closing reception in collaboration with the Austin Book Arts Center. We were so pleased to host tooling and stamping demonstrations by Mark Evans of Adolphus Bindery and Mary Baughman. A few brave visitors even got to try their hand at this historical craft.
Mark Evans demonstrates gold tooling at the exhibit reception.
As featured in the Daily Texan, this exhibit was entirely planned and executed by iSchool students. From writing text and designing text panels; to crafting a narrative from physical materials; to digitizing exhibit materials, creating an exhibit website, promoting the exhibit online, and organizing the reception, students became their own exhibit committee and counted on each other to build a professional-level exhibit. What a heartening way to bring our book and information communities together. Three cheers to the class!
This fall, I’m so excited to collaborate on a disaster preparedness project with Space Center Houston! Master’s students in my course, Disaster Planning and Response, are creating risk assessment reports for the artifacts displayed in Space Center Houston’s Starship Gallery. We are grateful to Collections Manager Carmina Mortillaro for her work on this project!
Risk assessment is a process of quantifying and prioritizing the dangers posed to cultural heritage collections. For example, collections managers might assess the likely impact of flood, fire, mold, or earthquake on irreplaceable books, manuscripts, or artworks. A risk assessment is a critical first step in taking preventive action, and in ensuring historical artifacts are available to future generations.
My students are applying the ABC Model of risk assessment, as described in A Guide to Risk Management of Cultural Heritage(2016), by Stefan Michalski and Jose Luiz Pedersoli. Based on a remote gallery tour and Q&A session with Ms. Mortillaro, the students are scoring preservation challenges and formulating proactive solutions to stop problems before they start. We hope our reports can help Ms. Mortillaro to safeguard treasures like the first UV light camera, invented by African-American NASA scientist Dr. George Carruthers. Though these objects were designed to go into space, they need special help to withstand the challenges of time here on Earth.
Many thanks to Carmina Mortillaro and her team at Space Center Houston for generously assisting us with this project!
This spring, I conducted conservation treatment on an architectural drawing from the Alexander Architectural Archives. The drawing, by British architect Sir Aston Webb, shows a late-19th-century renovation of the Church of St. Bartholomew the Great. At over 900 years old, St. Bart’s is the oldest surviving church in London!
The drawing presented several condition issues. It was covered in a significant layer of grime, likely the result of storage in a sooty London office. The margins displayed a thick layer of brittle, cracked, brown adhesive, likely left behind by a previous display mat. Most significantly, the drawing had been executed on drawing board, a commercially-produced material that becomes acidic with age. Given the board’s deterioration, cracks and losses had occurred, and were likely to worsen with handling. The goals of treatment were to improve stability, access, and aesthetics, and to reduce likelihood of future damage.
First, the drawing was first surface cleaned with brushes and soot sponges, resulting in a notable change in contrast and legibility. Surface cleaning removed acidic components from paper’s surface to slow future pH shifts and to prepare for water-based treatment.
Raking light reveals the extent of grime removed during surface cleaning
Next, the residual adhesive was softened with successive applications of a methyl cellulose poultice, and mechanically removed with a microspatula. Methyl cellulose is frequently used in conservation as a controlled moisture delivery method. The residual adhesive is glue made from animal hide, so it responds to water without need for more aggresive solvents.
Removing adhesive with methyl cellulose
Then, the drawing was removed from its acidic backing board. This process involved using a modified bone tool to split the drawing from its board. Remaining fibers were then pared away with a modified lifting knife while working on a light table. This process represents a major change for the item that requires justification. In this case, removing the backing significantly reduces the risk of future damage, and no significant content was on the back of the drawing.
Portions of the backing board have been split from the drawing
Last, the drawing was washed on damp blotter to reduce acidity, remove degradation components, and reduce discoloration. A lining of Japanese tissue was then adhered with reversible wheat starch paste to provide ongoing flexibility and stability.
A Japanese tissue lining is adhered with wheat starch paste and a tamping brush
Thanks to the Alexander Architectural Archives for the opportunity to work on this drawing. I hope to visit this building in London someday!
This spring, my lab students had a unique opportunity to compare the effectiveness of two treatment methods. While ours was an informal observation, it was nevertheless informative for future projects!
Our class was conducting conservation treatment on a batch of rolled architectural drawings. These drawings were on tracing paper, a material that can respond unpredictably to water exposure. Unfortunately, the most effective way to flatten rolled documents is through humidification! This poses a challenge for both preservation and access.
After testing our media for water solubility, the first half of the class proceeded with humidification and flattening through one method that is fairly well accepted in paper conservation. These documents were dried between blotter paper and stiff boards, beneath weights. The resulting documents were flat for storage and handling, but slightly rippled. Could we do any better?
The second half of the class responded by using a drying method called the hard-soft sandwich. This method was developed in response to the special needs of tracing paper, in a publication by Hildegard Homburger and Barbara Korbel (see below). Differences in this method as compared to a traditional blotter stack include:
Felt instead of blotter paper as one layer of the stack.
Significantly increased weight on the stack.
Increased drying time.
And it worked!
The hard-soft sandwich, a drying method devised for tracing paper
The resulting sheets had fewer ripples in the surface, making subsequent mending of tears easier.
Though these are informal findings, this class did present a unique opportunity to compare drying methods on similar materials with similar provenance and storage history, all from the same collection. Managing such parameters on historical materials is a major challenge in conservation research. Thanks to my lab students for taking on this learning experience with me!
References
Homburger, Hildegard and Barbara Korbel. “Architectural Drawings on Transparent Paper: Modifications of Conservation Treatments.” Book and Paper Group Annual 18: 25-33.
Once again this spring, we’re excited for my Introduction to Paper Conservation class to collaborate with the Alexander Architectural Archives! Students will perform conservation treatment on drawings from the Charles Stevens Dilbeck (1907 – 1990) collection. Dilbeck is best known for his residential designs in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He created romantic cottages with French and Irish influences, as well Texas Ranch style houses. His work is documented and explored further by the Dilbeck Architecture Conservancy.
A Dilbeck drawing is unrolled for initial examination.
Drawings for treatment consist primarily of graphite on tracing paper. As the students develop introductory treatment skills, our group will work to clean, humidify and flatten, and conduct basic mends. In taking these materials from rolled storage to flat storage, we’ll improve accessibility for patrons and enhance future stability and preservation.
A drawing detail highlights the meticulous work of draftsmen in a mid-20th-century architecture firm.
Three cheers for Life in Stereoscope: Viewable Vistas, Industry, and Family Life, on view at the UT School of Information through November 16. This exhibit is created by the students in my course, Planning and Understanding Exhibits. Every bit of the exhibit is designed and executed by the students, from item selection and narrative flow to writing text; designing for print; building exhibit supports; creating interactive, educational elements; and promoting the exhibit within UT and beyond. Check us out on Instagram!
Students install the class exhibit. Image: https://www.instagram.com/ischoolexhibits/Viewers may use stereoviewers to experience the 3D effect of the stereocards on exhibit. Img: https://www.instagram.com/ischoolexhibits/
Special kudos to our web team, who designed our exhibit website using CollectionBuilder. This open-source software is created by the University of Idaho with support from the Institute for Museum and Library Services and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Our class was selected from a competitive pool to provide a test case for this software. The students will provide feedback to help refine this tool that supports the creation of sustainable, digital collections and exhibits.
Special thanks also to visiting stereocard artist Tay Hall, who discussed their process and works at our exhibit reception. Tay’s work demonstrated modern applications for this historical format. Learn more at https://www.tayhallstudio.com/
This semester, I was pleased to conduct conservation treatment on an architectural drawing of the McDonald Observatory, a leading center for astronomical research and teaching located in the Davis Mountains of West Texas. This 25″ x 42″ charcoal and graphite drawing, made by University of Texas architects in 1934, is housed at the Alexander Architectural Archives here at the University of Texas.
Before treatment: creases, grime, and tape repair (tape is mostly on the reverse)After treatment: cleaned, flattened, and repaired primarily with heat-set tissue
The drawing had several condition issues when it entered the lab. A large tear extended up the center of the drawing, nearly separating the paper in two. The tear had been previously repaired with pressure-sensitive tape, which had become browned and embrittled over time. The tape repair was visible through the drawing’s thin tracing paper. The tear was misaligned along the tape repair, causing gaps in the image and text, as well as rippling from stress in the paper. Creases and grime had resulted from handling. The charcoal had offset during direct contact with storage materials.
Removing discolored tape Mending the tear on the light table to ensure proper alignment
During treatment, the drawing underwent surface cleaning and several rounds of humidification and flattening to reduce grime and creasing. The discolored tape was removed manually, with controlled application of moisture to soften areas of stiff adhesive. The tear was realigned and mended with heat-set tissue to minimize water exposure to the moisture-sensitive tracing paper. Wheat starch paste was added in small mended areas to improve strength.
Before treatment: discolored tapeAfter treatment: tape removed; tear re-aligned, mended, and flattened
Last, a sink mat was constructed to safely house the drawing. The deep walls of the mat hold its cover sheet away from the drawing to prevent further media offset. Acid-free corrugated board was used for structural elements to provide stiffness with minimal weight. A second ply of board, applied cross-grained, was added to support this oversize drawing.
Many thanks to the Alexander Architectural Archives for the chance to work on this beautiful drawing!
This exhibit featured the data-based artwork A Work of Art for Every Entry in Index – Subjects – Library of Congressby sound and media artist Holland Hopson. The artwork generates descriptions of non-existent artworks by using actual Library of Congress terminology; our students then created real artworks based on these fabricated descriptions. We were so pleased to host Holland at our exhibit closing reception, and to work with him throughout the semester!
Students in INF 393C, Introduction to Paper Conservation, are excited to apply their treatment skills to two groups of drawings from the Alexander Architectural Archives this spring! Throughout the course, students learn foundational treatment skills through work on practice materials, and then complete one full treatment on archives materials.
Student treatment project: architectural drawing by Roy Thomas for Austin’s Kealing Middle School, 1929.
The first group of tracing paper drawings features the original design for Kealing Middle School here in Austin. The plans were created by architect Roy Thomas, who designed residential, public, and commercial structures in Central Texas from the 1920s – 1950s. Kealing opened in 1930 as the first junior high for African American students in Austin. The school closed in 1971 during desegregation. The original building was razed after a fire in 1983, and Kealing’s current building opened in 1986.
Student treatment project: architectural drawing by Nicholas Clayton for a public school building in Galveston, TX, ca. 1898.
The second group of tracing paper drawings features a number of Galveston buildings designed by architect Nicholas Clayton. Clayton was one of the first professional architects to become established in Texas. He’s best known for his work in Galveston between 1873 – 1900, during that city’s heyday as a center of trade and commerce, and the largest city in Texas. It is likely that the water damage on the students’ drawings came from the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, still the most deadly natural disaster in US history.
We are so pleased to work once again with the Alexander Architectural Archives on these hands-on student experiences!
